Fraternizing
by Lady-AuRevoir
Summary: For former ANBU Captain, turned Akatsuki, Itachi Uchiha; rules and regulations have served as a blueprint for how he should live his life. In his mind, the way to maintaining proper conduct and order relied heavily on the ability of the individual to follow orders without question, Itachi was that individual. Until.. Chinastu Haruno, older sister of Sakura Haruno.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One **

Chinastu Haruno, former ANBU captain, lay on a tree branch, balancing her entire body. She was a good eighty feet from the ground, but she remained unperturbed. At first glance, it would be hard to recognize this young female kunoichi as the older sister of Sakura Haruno, the young, naïve girl; whom she adored. Being sisters, they shared a very striking resemblance. Both had bright pink hair, although Chinastu's was softer and much longer, reaching past her waist with a full fringe to obscure her forehead. She had had it pulled into a single braid, with a few stray locks framing her face.

Unlike their brother, Osamu, he had possessed their mother's blonde hair and their father's blue eyes, a perfect combination that had made him a heart throb during his days in the academy.

Her skin was much fairer, her lips fuller, not to mention she was curvaceous and well-endowed, though this was hidden underneath her sleeveless turtleneck top and mesh armor underneath. The twisting tattoo that all ANBU wore was placed upon her arm. Her headband was worn around her neck.

While Sakura's eyes were an emerald green, Chinastu had inherited their father's blue eyes, which her younger sister was quite envious of when they used to live together.

She was twenty-one now. After leaving home a while back, along with her brother, Osamu, Sakura had become depressed because the only two whom she'd come to admire had left her behind. It wasn't easy, since the Haruno siblings spent their childhood doting on one another and being as close as possible to each other.

Osamu and Chinastu sent their younger sister letters, which the latter was always thankful to receive. Chinastu smiled, remembering Sakura's earlier letters. She'd risen in ranks quickly, becoming a skilled medical-nin under the most powerful kunoichi in the world, Tsunade, one of The Legendary Sanin. Tsunade had also been Chinastu's mentor as well. Chinastu's blue eyes softened and saddened as she let out a small sigh. She missed her family. If only she had spent more time visiting them...

She looked up just in time to see her hawk come soaring forward. She held out a gloved hand so that it could perch there.

"Daydreaming again, milady?" The slightly sarcastic voice of the winged creature asked.

"You could say that...did you complete your assignment, Shippū?"

"Yes, milady. I've scoped the entire area. No trace of enemies as far as I can tell."

Chinastu nodded. She disappeared, spreading through the trees like a spirit, the still air making no more noise as she did. Suddenly, Shippū spoke.

"Milady, I sense strong chakra signatures. Their level of chakra—Akatsuki."

Chinastu caught the shuriken that burst from the trees. She jumped to the left. She sensed the chakra signatures, two of them, only one of which she knew.

_Can't be... _

Chinastu leapt forward towards one man. His red Sharingan shined through to her. She threw four shuriken, watching them hit the tree that had been behind Itachi as he disappeared. She felt his presence behind her as she pulled her sword from its sheath a few inches, stopping the kunai launched at her back. She sheathed the sword as she flipped backwards.

"Hm. I knew it was you...Itachi."

"Hm."

They stood facing each other.

"I didn't think we'd cross paths like this...Chinastu."

She frowned.

"How did you find me?"

He didn't say anything, typical male. He hadn't changed a bit. He was still the same as she had known him before he had slaughtered his entire clan.

"Does it matter?" His tone was cold, flat and devoid of emotion.

She watched a tall man with blue tinted skin and large sword step beside Itachi. She knew him as Kisame, one of the swordsmen her brother had told her about when they were kids, usually stories he'd try to scare her with but to no success.

"So, this is the girl our leader wants to recruit. She's kind of cute, Itachi. From what I've heard so far you two much know each other."

Of course they knew each other. They'd met and became friends on their first day into the ninja academy when they were still kids. They soon started hanging out and practicing shuriken together. She'd become so close to him that the next thing that hit her, she'd fallen in love.

Until that night...

"Recruit...huh?" she smirked in amusement. "Trying to get me to join your little party I see. Well, if you want me, you're going to have to beat me first."

Chinastu swiftly and agilely dodged their attacks, countering them with her own. She had received a cut from Kisame, but smiled, relishing in the slight sting she'd received. She shot up her leg, aiming it for his midsection. It smacked against his forearm and she cursed.

Itachi and Chinastu locked eyes. He blinked as though he were unsure as to believe it himself. This had been his only female friend when he'd still lived in Konoha. He grabbed for Chinastu's wrist, snapping her around. She cursed herself. Blue met crimson in a moment. His eyes began to swirl hypnotically. She tried to close her eyes, but to no avail.

She caught flashes of her own life inside of her mind.

_She was in a dark room, the moon's light providing the only kind of light so that she could see the faces of her parents and siblings. Itachi was standing behind all of them, his sword poised in the air. _

"_NO!" she screamed. "Please don't kill them! Whatever you want I'll give it to you, you don't need to do this! Itachi!" _

_She watched the blood spray into the air, her family members falling down in heaps. She screamed a blood-curdling scream. _

Chinastu went limp in Itachi's arms. He carried her bridal style, watching her features. Memories of their childhood plagued him. He shook that feeling off, wondering why he was remembering these events. Itachi nodded. Their bodies flickered with Chinastu in tow.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two **

When Chinastu came to, she was didn't remember what all had happened. There was no drowsy contentment or a lazy stretch. Her eyes shot open, looking at the ceiling in surprise. She sat up instantly, scanning the room. Where on earth was she? A dull ache began throbbing on her temple—and it all came back in a rush.

She'd been knocked out earlier when she had come to by Kisame, much to her disgust. She'd met the leader and all of the other members of the organization. She didn't say anything to them, not even Itachi. She'd gotten into it with a few of them and that had been lights out for her. They were expecting her to break so that she would give in. She wasn't about to give them the satisfaction.

"Good morning."

Chinastu whirled on her bed, eyes wide. When she spotted him seated across from her, dressed in his Akatsuki robes, she flinched involuntarily.

"I'm not going to hurt you."

"Of course not, your precious leader wouldn't appreciate that so much now would he? Why the hell am I here? What do you need me here for?" she spat.

She raked a hand through her long hair, cursing herself mentally for being caught by the one person she'd sworn she'd hate for the rest of her life. Seeing him again stirred up some feelings that she thought she had suppressed. She recalled images of herself with Itachi as children, the two of them playing recklessly together without even a care in the world. His eyes had been so full of light back in those days. It wasn't until they'd gotten older that she witnesses that light begin to fade from his eyes just as fast.

Chinastu dismounted from the bed. She headed towards Itachi in three powerful strides, the hidden kunai she held making its debut. In a blink in an eye she was on the bed, Itachi on top of her, holding her right arm high over her head so much it hurt. Maybe a good kick in the balls...

Unfortunately, her legs were on either side of him, almost wrapped around his waist.

"Don't ever do that again," he said, glaring at her angrily.

"Do what?" she snapped back, eyes shining in challenge.

Itachi's eyes narrowed at the thought.

"You want me to be a part of your organization...like I'd betray my own village like you did."

His gaze traveled over her, not quite leaving her eyes. The pose they were in reminded him of their first spar as children. He'd always win of course and she'd squeal in frustration. Although they'd be reckless with their training that was often more suitable for Jônin, but they hadn't given a care in the world.

He'd met her on their first day of the academy. She wasn't hard to notice; her first day there a boy had made fun of her for her hair in pigtails and she'd punch him across the room with one single punch. She then quietly made her way over to a seat, next to him, and remained silent for the rest of the day. He had approached her and talked. She didn't seem to enjoy idle chit-chat, but he had gotten her to open up.

Their budding friendship had become something...more. They weren't kids anymore. Her chest heaved up and down fervently, her eyes intensifying.

"It would be in your best interest to remember who is in charge here. I'll have no more of your tongue. I have no qualms with killing you."

"Is that a fact?"

Silence.

"You look just like him..." she murmured. "Your younger brother I mean...people say I don't favor my younger sister sometimes."

She wiggled from beneath his body, surveying the room. It was spacious, with bookshelves lining the walls. The bed sat in the middle of the room. A large seat window was opposite the bed, the curtains drawn protectively around it, shielding her from anyone's view. In the other corner was a door.

Chinastu reached for her top. Itachi watched her. She glanced over her shoulder at him.

"What? Never seen a woman strip before?" she asked, playfully.

She padded over to it softly, left only in her tights, pushing it open after not sensing any straps or seals. It was a bathroom. Chinastu stumbled inside, closing the door behind her. She turned on the water, stepping inside immediately.

She closed her eyes, allowing the warm water to run over her. Hot tears mingled with the water as she bit her lips, squeezing her eyes shut. Her legs gave way as she sat down in the shower, shoulders heaving as she sobbed. She let the water wash over her body, across her back and shoulders.

_2 weeks later _

_Oniisama... Oneesama... _

Sakura twirled a strand of her hair around her fingers, staring up at her ceiling. Without even looking she reached for a small red ball and bounced it on her ceiling. The red ball reminded her of her childhood with her older siblings. If hadn't been for the letters, she would have told everyone she was an only child.

She had always been doted on by her older siblings, especially her older sister, Chinastu, whom she always spent the most time with. It was her sister who taught her all the skills of being a ninja and tricks that she'd used to advantage several times. It was Chinastu who had protected her from the bullies, who boosted her confidence, everything in a big sister there was to be.

Chinastu had taken her on missions with her, one in which they had had to capture a giant ox during her ANBU days. Sakura had been petrified of the thing and ran off the first rime she'd seen it. Chinastu saved her right away and finally, it was Sakura had defeated the animal, much to Chinastu's surprise. Some time later, her sister had taken her with her—one which she remembered the very first time she'd met Sasuke—to see Itachi.

Sasuke had been so...kind back then. And playful. So had Itachi, she remembered the meeting as though it had yesterday. Itachi had remarked on how she'd resembled her sister, which caused her to shy away from him. Sakura noticed how she seemed to blush in Itachi's company.

_I guess I wasn't the only one who fell for a particular Uchiha boy...right, big sister? _

Sakura stared at a picture of herself as a child with her sister and smiled.

"Maybe you'll be coming home soon..."

"If you don't like her, she can stay with me." Kisame grinned as he said the last part, wondering if he goaded Itachi into a fight. Itachi did nothing as he drank his tea. The moment the door slid open, Itachi turned, as did everyone else in the room. Of all people, he supposed he had sensed her chakra level. After all, it had become nearly part of him since the two knew each other so well.

The first thing he noticed was that she was wearing the Akatsuki cloak, her hair was free of its dreadful braid and she now donned a chignon-style bun almost at the nape of her neck, with a single wavy length of hair framing the side of her face.

Another surprise was the fact that she did not seem perturbed at the sight of four Akatsuki seated around a table in front of her. She calmly made her way to a seat.

"So, you're Sakura Haruno's sister. You look like her...though more attractive."

Chinastu raised an eyebrow in Kisame's direction. She almost smiled.

"So, Chinastu, you pretty much know all of our faces by now in the past few weeks."

"Not like I had a choice."

She and Itachi shared a look then focused on nothing else. She closed her eyes, holding the images of all the members in her memory. Sasori,the puppet master. Deidara, the bomb expert. Sakura had told her about him in one of her letters how he had killed a friend of hers. Kisame Hoshigaki, one of the swordsmen, and finally Itachi Uchiha, her childhood friend.

Both she and Itachi had graduated from the academy at ages 7, he at the top of the class and passed their Chūnin exams at ages 10, enrolled in ANBU half a year later and he'd become captain by 13.

"So, Itachi, how does it feel to have an old friend in the same boat as you? Some would call this fate, right?"

"He doesn't believe in that," Chinastu said, shocking everyone. "He's always been...inscrutable..."

However, she had been the only one who was able to understand him when no one else did.

"You're very amusing, Chinastu," Itachi said flatly.

"All the more to please you with."

Two weeks she'd been a member of Akatsuki, only because she'd lost the fight against Itachi. It was only fair that the two go against each other, but at the same time it didn't seem fair because they used to spar together, they knew each others movements. It didn't matter that they both had gotten stronger over time. She wasn't even surprised he'd beat her. The two of them shared not only that, but almost similar personalities, though Chinastu was more playful. Though she didn't lash out in anger like her younger sister, she mad sure she got her point across with words.

"Excuse me..." she said, leaving the room quietly.

Down the hallway, she noticed someone coming up. Another female member, a beautiful woman with blue hair, amber eyes, and lip piercing and a flower in her hair that had been made from paper. The woman stopped in front of Chinastu.

"You are Chinastu."

"Hai."

…

….

…

"Tell me what your name is?"

"I am Konan."

"Nice to meet you Konan. Listen, just something between us girls...you wouldn't happen to be doing anything now would you?"

Konan looked at Chinastu in surprise. Konan blinked.

"C'mon, we're the only girls here. I know you have loyalties towards your leader...but he wouldn't mind you getting a little R&R?"

Before she could protest, Chinastu hooked her arm with Konan's, giggling.

"It's time for us girls to get to know each other more..."

**Trivia: _"Chinastu" means "one thousand summers", and the name "Haruno" means "spring field". In Japanese, "Haruno Chinastu" means "spring field of one thousand summers", which may be an origin of the name. She was named after her grandmother, her father's mother. _**


End file.
